Jeff Co. election challenge lawsuit is dropped

Updated 5:23 pm, Monday, March 18, 2013

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Thomas P. Sigee

Thomas P. Sigee

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Shane Howard

Shane Howard

Photo: File

Jeff Co. election challenge lawsuit is dropped

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Thomas Sigee, who launched an election challenge in the results of the Jefferson County tax assessor-collector, dropped his pursuit of the office allowing incumbent J. Shane Howard to serve the four-year term he won in November without question as to the outcome.

Howard defeated Sigee by 16 votes.

Sigee at first had filed for a recount, depositing $11,000 with the county to pay for it. He withdrew that request on learning the recount would not have changed the results because it didn't include provisional ballots, which were votes cast but not counted on election day because questions loomed over their legitimacy.

Sigee then filed a lawsuit to require an inspection of the provisional ballots to include those votes in the total.

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However, the case never moved forward and Howard's attorneys filed a motion to require Sigee's side to show progress.

Late last week, Howard said he found out the case would be dropped. Sigee confirmed today he was dropping the lawsuit though there was not yet any notice filed with the Jefferson County District Clerk's office.